The rise of Brisbane ruckman Stefan Martin in the last eighteen months has been one of the most astonishing in the game. The athletic, undersized, workhorse has emerged from anonymity to become one of the premier big men in the AFL. In QClash10 this Saturday, Martin will be the next assignment for Gold Coast ruckman Tom Nicholls.
 
Nicholls returned from a one-week absence last weekend against West Coast and went head-to-head with former All Australian Nic Naitanui. The SUNS ruckman came out on top against Naitanui and Callum Sinclair and will now face one of the premier ground level ruckmen in the competition.
 
With Matthew Leunberger out with injury, Martin will assume the entire show once again, a role Rodney Eade explained Martin thrives on, given his ability to grind opponents down with his athletic gifts.
 
“He’s probably been stilted a bit with them playing two rucks. It’s always difficult for teams to fit two ruckmen in. I think he seems to play extremely well when he’s the lone ruckman,” Eade told SUNS TV on Thursday afternoon.
 
“He’s got great fitness, he’s a great running player, and he’s good strength. His ability to get around the ground is a real asset of his.
 
“Tom’s had a really competitive year. I think he’s one player that’s really grown this year. We thought he acquitted himself well last week.
 
“He probably got worn down by the two ruckmen, but having said that, Naitanui didn’t have a great influence on the game. So we were really pleased with his performance.
 
“It’s another big challenge for him, obviously Brisbane play a lot better at home and Stefan Martin is a key to that.”
 
After a frustrating first half of 2015, key defender Steven May has recaptured his best form in the last four to six weeks, and possibly even finding a new level. His performance against Coleman medal leader Josh Kennedy last weekend was one of the better defensive efforts seen all year.
 
A poor first half of the season – by his lofty standards – won’t see him feature in All Australian discussions this year but Eade is under no illusion, if May can produce his current form for an extended patch, then he will enter the upper echelon of key defenders in the game.
 
“He’s not far away from there, there’s no doubt. He’s had some really good performances against some good players this year,” Eade said.
 
“I think it’s just time, I think it’s just consistently being able to perform like he did last week and consistently against good players. I don’t think it will be very long until he will be in All Australian contention.”